Chapter 3

Those two dishes were exactly the bowls of rice and food Tian Yufen had just been carrying. There were also a few other things on the table—

A bowl of cabbage leaves with only a faint shimmer of oil floating on top, and three bowls filled with coarse-grain rice.

Two of the bowls had a little white rice mixed in—those were probably for the two little ones. Other than that, there was nothing else on the table.

Clearly, this was the grandparents’ and grandchildren’s lunch.

When Tian Yufen came back out with the medicine and saw Lin Xi already sitting at the table, she handed the medicine over and said,

“Use this ointment. Qingyan brought it back—it’s supposed to work really well for bruises and sprains.”

Lin Xi took the medicine but didn’t apply it right away. Instead, she said,

“I’m hungry. Let’s eat first. Xingxing, Yangyang—come eat.”

When she had come out just now, the two little ones had shrunk into a corner in fear.

Looking at the brother and sister huddled together, Lin Xi felt a pang of pity. At their age, they should have been at their cutest, yet both were thin, sallow, and filled with terror in their eyes. They were so used to beatings that they flinched like startled birds.

Tian Yufen, unsure of what was going on, decided to prevent an outburst just in case. She pulled the children over to the other side of the table, keeping as much distance from Lin Xi as possible.

Then she stared in shock as Lin Xi picked up her own bowl of white rice, walked over to the two children, split her rice between them, and even set the egg custard in front of them.

She then took one of the bowls of coarse-grain rice, sat on the opposite side of the table, and started eating without another word.

Tian Yufen thought to herself that Lin Xi seemed just as mild-tempered as she’d been the day she was first brought into the family. She didn’t know how long it would last or what her goal was this time.

Lin Xi, not knowing what her mother-in-law was thinking, decided to speak up anyway:

“Um… Mom, I was wrong before. I always took out my anger on you. I’m sorry. I’ve thought things through now—let’s live well from here on out. I won’t make trouble anymore.”

Lin Xi’s parents had died when she was very young. She’d grown up with her grandfather, and after he passed away, she’d lived with relatives. The word mom was unfamiliar to her—it had taken a real effort to call her that just now.

But since she’d decided she wanted a peaceful life, and given that the original host had bullied the old and the young in this household so badly, it was only right that she treat them better now that she’d taken over this body.

Besides, she had been alone for too long. Having a few family members around didn’t seem like such a bad thing.

When Tian Yufen heard her call her “mom,” she thought she’d misheard. But before she could react, she heard the rest of Lin Xi’s words—and thought back to what she had just done at the table.

Her eyes instantly grew red. From the day her daughter-in-law had married in, she had refused to even call her “auntie,” let alone “mom.” That single word made Tian Yufen’s nose sting, and she answered in a trembling, hoarse voice,

“Eh! Good, good—we’ll live well.”

If her daughter-in-law had truly come to her senses, their days would finally improve. Tian Yufen nodded through tears.

Although she didn’t understand why Lin Xi had suddenly changed her mind, she assumed it was because her son had treated her coldly—leaving her on their wedding night to return to the army. That must have made her unhappy.

In the end, it was still their family’s fault. A pampered, educated woman marrying into a mud-legged peasant family was already a grievance. For her son to treat her like that… it was natural she’d feel resentful.

Still, she had always felt sorry for the two children, who were beaten for no reason. She couldn’t say she didn’t hold some resentment in her heart. But if the daughter-in-law had truly changed her mind, then there was finally hope for better days.

Lin Xi took a few bites of the coarse-grain rice with the watery cabbage leaves. She had always been someone who loved strong flavors and spice—this kind of meal was really hard to swallow.

The three grandparents and grandchildren watched her set down her chopsticks. The two little ones instinctively curled into their grandmother’s arms, and Tian Yufen’s heart jumped as she quickly shielded them.

Lin Xi saw this but didn’t comment. She knew that no matter what she said now, it would be better to show them change through her actions.

“I’m full. You eat,” she said, and then got up and went back to her room.

If she was determined to live well, then she needed to make money first—only with enough money could she take it easy.

Having a second chance at life had taught her a clear truth: the most important things in life were eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom. And right now, even eating was a problem!

Before she’d landed in this book, she had worked hard for years and finally saved an eight-figure sum, thinking she could finally enjoy life—only to be diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. She hadn’t lived long after that before dying and ending up here.

Now she was in dire poverty, relying on an elder to feed her. That was no way to live!

She wanted financial freedom—she wanted to enjoy life!

Back in her room, she used the original host’s memories to find 300 yuan hidden away. This had been tucked close to her body before she was kicked out of the house.

It was pocket money she had saved over time, hidden away because she feared the Lin family wouldn’t let her take it with her. Along with it were two boxes of Snowflake Cream.

Those had been expensive and hard to get—she had hidden them for fear Lin Yuhan might want them.

When she escaped from the human traffickers, she hadn’t dared take anything else—only the money and the two boxes of cream had made it out with her.

Holding the 300 yuan, Lin Xi started planning. She needed to do some small business to earn her first pot of gold—life without money was unbearable, and even getting a full meal was a challenge…

Outside, Tian Yufen found Lin Xi’s behavior that morning very strange. She felt uneasy, unsure whether Lin Xi had truly changed or was just planning something big.

After the three of them finished lunch and tidied up the table, her grandson tugged her into the kitchen:

“Grandma, that bad woman tried to get into your room this morning to steal money, but I stopped her.”

Tian Yufen frowned deeply. No wonder things were so strange today—so she was still after money?

“Did she hit you? Where did she hit you? Let Grandma see if it’s bad.”

“No, she didn’t hit me today.”

Hearing this, Tian Yufen breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to glance toward Lin Xi’s room, a thought forming in her mind—though she felt it wasn’t quite right.

Still, if things kept going like this, this family would be ruined sooner or later. She was old—it didn’t matter so much for her—but the children were still young…

Lin Xi came out holding the money and saw Tian Yufen washing dishes. She said directly,

“Mom, I’d like you to take me to the county.”

The words made Tian Yufen’s heart sink straight to the bottom. So she’d been right—there was no such thing as a sudden change of heart. It was all false hope.

The last time Lin Xi had insisted on going to the county, she’d wanted to buy everything she saw, forcing her to spend several months’ worth of expenses in a single trip.

And all of it had been for herself—not even a single piece of candy or biscuit for the children. Even then, Lin Xi hadn’t been satisfied, and had gone right back to calling them poor, rustic mud-legs.